1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a liquid container retaining unit for retaining a liquid container capable of storing a liquid, and a liquid ejecting apparatus including the liquid container retaining unit.
2. Related Art
An example of a known liquid ejecting apparatus is an ink jet printer in which a liquid stored in a liquid container is supplied to a liquid ejecting head from which the liquid is ejected onto printing media, such as paper sheets or the like, to form an image or the like. Such a printer typically includes a liquid container retaining unit having a container retaining element for retaining a plurality of liquid containers in an insertable and removable manner. Then, in the printer, for image formation, liquids are supplied from the liquid containers retained in the container retaining element of the liquid container retaining unit to the liquid ejecting head, and after completion of the image formation, data such as the amount of liquid remaining in each of the liquid containers or the like is stored in a memory disposed in the respective liquid containers.
That is, for each of the liquid containers, first electrodes to be electrically connected to the memory disposed in the liquid container are disposed on the liquid container while second electrodes capable of being electrically connected to the first electrodes on the liquid container are disposed on the container retaining element. Then, data which is to be stored after supply of the liquid into the liquid ejecting head is transferred via the second electrodes disposed on the container retaining element to the first electrodes electrically connected to the second electrodes, and the transferred data is stored in the memory disposed in the liquid container.
The following configuration is known as an example of such a liquid container retaining unit. That is, in such a liquid container retaining unit, a liquid container (cartridge) which is inserted into a container retaining element (holder) includes: a circuit board having first electrodes (terminal board) and a memory on the outer surface of an inclined wall; and an urging member (lever) which elastically deforms. Then, with the urging force (elastic force) of the urging member which elastically deforms with the insertion of the liquid container into the container retaining element, the liquid container is mounted (fixed) in the container retaining element, and when being mounted, the second electrodes (contact mechanism) arranged on the container retaining element are electrically connected to the first electrodes (for example, see JP-A-2012-051315).
However, the urging force generated by elastic deformation of an urging member when the liquid container is mounted on the container retaining element can deform the container retaining element and the liquid container having been mounted can become tilted within the container retaining element due to the container being urged in one direction by a single urging member. In this case, the first electrodes on the liquid container and the second electrodes on the container retaining element (contact mechanism) are relatively misaligned with respect to each other, so that the first electrodes and the second electrodes cannot be electrically connected to each other. As a result, data cannot be properly stored in the memory.
Moreover, this type of situation is common, not only among ink jet printers, but also among liquid container retaining units for retaining liquid containers and liquid ejecting apparatuses including such a liquid container retaining unit and including a liquid ejecting head for ejecting a liquid supplied from the liquid containers.